Sacrosanct
by jdflyerguy
Summary: She's bad for him, but Jedi knight, Kibol Diran, has crossed the galaxy to get into trouble again. Weena is in dire straights and this time it'll take more than the normal force tricks to get them out. Feedback appreciated.
1. Chapter 1 - Distress Call

CHAPTER 1

Selucami. It was a key outer rim trading post planet that hosted a vast variety of species. The dry planet rose to strategic importance during the Clone Wars, being a stronghold of the confederacy of Independent Systems. Strategic battles had been fought in its atmosphere during the Galactic Civil War. The Yuuzhan Vong had arrived years later and conquered the place. Today, a different, down-scale, more local conflict was taking place. The remote location had become a place for the recluses and outcasts of every galactic species to retreat to and make their own version of their parent society. Every offshoot faction of every culture and religious group had found a planet. From one of these entrenched communities came a distress call. And that was why he was here.

Kibol Diran, Jedi knight, made his way hastily towards the noisy tumult. Twenty two standard years old and strongly built, he ran towards his mark with an air of purpose about him. He drew on the Force to enhance every step, adding meters to every long stride.

He'd traded his Jedi robes for a more mobile, desert friendly garb. His pants and upper garments were made of lightweight breathable weave, loose around the thighs. His ankles were wrapped from knee to heel with elastic banding to support his ankles. His forearms and wrists all the way to the palms of his hands were wrapped with the same material. His finger protruded from the wrap like fleshy talons. A heavy scarf was wrapped around his shoulders and head leaving only a slit for his eyes to see through. His tinted slim-line goggles were banded in place over his eyes, protecting them from the wind and sands. His utility belt was a study in simplicity. A holster for his comlink in front, and in the small of his back, an expandable utility sack with a one hundred meter slim-cable wound within. On each hip was clipped a lightsaber that swung with each stride. His appearance didn't matter as much today since he wasn't representing The Order today.

The dry, crater-pocked landscape stretched out before him. The oddly shaped rock rises broke up the monotony of the flat desert. There were occasional vegetation oases that served as civilization bases for the many immigrant species of beings that jumped on and off the world. The frequent falls of meteors carved many large bowls in the arid earth; some the size of a speeder, others large enough to house a small family. Still, others were large enough to use as makeshift water reservoirs and rock quarries.

The one Kibol was approaching now was one of the really big ones. It was the size of a Strikesport stadium. Nearly perfectly circular, and half a kilometer deep, arena seating was carved out into the sloping walls. Tunnels were excavated in eight evenly spaced compass locations and spidered out into interconnecting subterranean tunnels and pathways.

The scaled a low wall that surrounded the underground stadium and peered over the yellow/green heads of what seemed to be several hundreds of Skakoans. They thundered and roared in their native tongue. The vocoders each spoke through made the ruckus sound like a monotone electronic buzz. They pounded their arms in the air and would intermittently unite in a short mantra, a recital, Kibol guessed, that made this sound like a religious service of sorts.

Seating was only available in a semicircle, about 300 degrees. The unaltered segment of the round wall was left unaltered. His eyes followed the onlookers to this center of attention where a large, loosely improvised statue of a quadruped animal reared up and stood on its hind legs. It was covered in a white powder, providing contrast for the statue against the tan brown Selucami sands. The head was oversized and awkward and in the middle of its bulk was a shining blue orb. It was obviously a likeness of the Skakoan deity, the Albino Cyclops. Apparently, this colony of Skakoans had brought some vestige of their old world with them to settle here.

But then Kibol saw what he came all these light years to find. Directly in front of the statue was a thick stone pillar, approximately four meters high. An anchor on the top was attached to a heavy metal chain, which was attached to an uncomfortable looking pair of manacles. These were attached to Weena Venjournic. Twenty standard years old, she was Arkanian, of the offshoot variety. Her mixed ancestry was more human and thus her skin was more pink than the traditional pale complexion their offshoots were know for. She had straight white hair, long and flapping in the wind. She was barefoot, and her long skirt and upper garments were torn. Kibol couldn't make out the face from this distance, but women of her description were rare around the galaxy.

She was on her knees, head resting against the pillar, arms bound and raised above her head. Her shoulders sagged in the middle. She was a captive on display for the whole congregation of Skakoans to glare at … but why? He hoped that this wasn't what it looked like, a being sacrifice to their stone god. She looked alive and just possibly resting in a posture that made her appear to be praying to the stone deity. Perhaps he could find the leader of the group, find out what happened, and negotiate her release.

Kibol paused a moment. Here he was again, trying to come up with a way to save Weena; the local militia on Scavronah, the geneticist on Arkania, that run-in with the security on Malachor. She was a magnet for trouble. And he was her iron savior all the time, just as drawn to her, but for different reasons. Everytime he rescued his … friend … or whatever she was to him … she swore to him that it'd never happen again. If just once she'd meant it …

His thoughts were cut off by a low rumbling noise. The floor in the center of the stadium opened up. Sand sunk in as a metal door slid to the side revealing a ramp trailing down into the dry ground. Large foot falls were heard, a primal growl radiated out of the hole and filled the stadium.

Instead of a thunderous roar of applause in response, the crowd went strangely silent. A Skakoan stood up in the apex of the seating arc and lifted his hands. His pressure suit was splashed with blue and yellow dyes and he had a more ornate face mask than the rest. He spoke authoritatively in Skakoform. The crowd repeated the phrase and lifted their hands as well in unison. Their vocoders buzzing in response sounded like a swarm of insects.

During the ruckus, sand bloomed up out of the hole in the ground. A red/grey blur shot out of the cloud, huffing, snorting and galloping in a berserker fashion. The creature's head was colored a deep red, the torso and legs were light grey. Its skin was so course and rough, and appeared to have stones embedded in it. The three horns that jutted out of its head, one curving up from its snout, the other two arcing out from the sides, were a threat to anything unfortunate enough to run too slow … or to be chained helplessly to a stone pillar during feeding time.

"Aw man,_ A Reek_!" Kibol moaned to himself. I guess it was too late to negotiate. He needed to act. Weena was in need of another rescue, and fast.

When the dust settled, the animal bayed loudly announcing its presence to all enemies and predators. But it could see none, except the lightly toned humanoid chained to the pole on the other side of the arena. The flapping of her torn skirt and hair in the wind enraged the beast and it aimed its horn directly at her and charged.


	2. Chapter 2 - Going to Ground

CHAPTER 2

The underground tunnels were a lot straighter than he thought they'd be. He'd seen an underground schematic aboard the _Perseverance_ that Bryne Deegs had conjured up out of some planetary archive in the Selucami database. Bryne was a grey skinned Duros who was good at the data bank slicing and data acquisition, and today, he just might have to be an emergency evac pilot. A long time friend of the Diran family, Bryne had always been faithful back up in a crisis.

Kibol had tried to memorize the tunnel layout, but that was never his strongpoint. He'd just remembered the general shape of the tunneling and was concentrating on Weena's force presence to get him there. _Faster, Kib, faster_.

Running, he keyed his comlink. "Bry, I just made entry into the underground of the arena. She's here, but things have changed. I'm having to bump the tempo up. Be ready to go in twenty." He whispered.

"I'm ready now if ye want Kibol, sir." His friend responded, "Get that girl and let's get out of here!"

Up on the surface, Weena was aroused by the loud baying of the large creature. Nearly six feet in height, she was tall for a female, but it afforded her the strength and speed she needed to survive this far in the hostile galaxy abroad. Her icy blue eyes widened as she took in her predicament. The reek had spotted her and was aiming his tall dorsal horn at her. He let out a drooling groan and darted full tilt at her to gore her into oblivion. Adrenaline hit her all at once. She stood in a ready stance, legs spread out, knees bent. She held her bound wrists in front of her, still tethered to the pole. The chain was taught, forcing her to stand as if holding a paddle disc racket in front of her. She was at a definite disadvantage but not totally helpless.

As the beast neared her, she turned and took two bounding steps away from the attacker, kicked her outside leg and swung on the chain up and away from the ground. The Reek's left horn dug in the ground where she'd been standing and its momentum slid him across the sandy ground leaving a six meter gouge in the ground. She'd avoided the charge, but her descent was not nearly as graceful as the jump.

She had wrapped twice around the pole and the chain had lost length in the process. She had to extend her leg outward to stop the spinning motion and she landed facing up, barely able to touch the ground with her toes. Her feet skittered frantically for purchase. The manacles scraped into the flesh of her wrists. She had to recover her foothold and get into a position to avoid the next charge.

The reek had just recovered from his miss. He had slid several meters away and was also having trouble finding sure footing on the stadium floor as well. He seemed angrier than before, he growled violently into the air, aimed his horned head at Weena and kicked the ground with his left forelimb. He wouldn't be able to build up much speed, but at this distance he wouldn't miss.

Just as he bowed his head to initiate the death charge, the ground between the two exploded upward creating a large hole. A twirling blue and green double helix of saber energy rose out of the ground. At its center was a shrouded human figure in light colored desert garments, spinning as he emerged from the ground, the core of a tornado of damage to anyone at arm's length. He kicked his legs out to stop his spin and landed in a battle ready stance, straddling the hole he just made. In his right hand a cobalt blue saber held at a forty-five degree angle in front of his face. In his left, an emerald green blade held back handed horizontally covering his back.

Weena crumpled to a seated position leaning against the pole she'd been attached to, her connection to it severed. About an arm's length of chain links now dangled from the manacles. She pushed off the pillar onto her feet. Kibol had popped up just close enough to remove the top third of the reek's snout horn and to simultaneously sever the chain that bound her. He had come. She'd called and he came to get her!

The reek reeled back in a sudden shock of pain, he nerves in his snout screaming out for relief. The animal reared up on its hinds trying to buck off the pain in its head. It ground its pointed chin in the dirt and tried shaking itself free of the unseen source of agony. It couldn't comprehend what had just happened.

Once Kibol was sure the reek was occupied, he stood erect and deactivated the lightsaber in his right hand, clipping it to his belt. He removed the wrapping from his head and pulled his goggles down around his neck. His hair was cut short, low-maintenance style. He had a "dust tan" on his face everywhere his goggles did not touch. His dark brown eyes were intense and genuinely concerned. He held his hand out and she took it. "You okay?"

"I guess I'm fine now." She wore a mix of astonishment and relief. She was perfectly capable of fending for herself, but every now and then, she found herself in a situation so dire, she'd call the one person she could count on.

"What are you doing here, Weena? Why are you in the outer rim being sacrificed to some idol?" His eyes alternated from her left eye to her right. He was reading her face trying to gauge her honesty. He purposefully restrained himself from using the force. He really wanted hear the truth from her. Either that, or he just didn't want to know that she was lying to him again.

"I was just on planet for a few days following up on a job opportunity. I guess these guys just wanted a white haired sacrifice for their Albino Cyclops god. They abducted me last night." She shrunk herself under his right arm and looked up at him hoping to meet his eyes and share a holodrama moment. But he wasn't looking at her, his eyes tracked back and forth behind them.

She followed his gaze. The Skakoan crowd began to protest and waved angry fists in the air. Blue skinned Patronians appeared from the tunnels and marched toward them with shock staffs and threatening body language. A Weequay leaped over a dividing wall and ran at them taking random potshots with a handheld blaster. The bolts passed high and overhead of the pair.

"Aw, man."

Kibol had failed to assess the security of the event. He'd had tunnel vision on Weena's predicament, solved the immediate problem, but now he they were both knee deep in hostile beings. Thankfully, there wasn't a lot of energy weapons among the crowd, but the sheer numbers would be a problem. He hadn't planned it, but the perfect distraction was coming his way.


	3. Chapter 3 - Going to Ground Again

CHAPTER 3

Nothing seemed to make the pain go away. The reek continued to buck and shake his head in an aggravated way. He reared up again and this time lunged forward and stomped both fore limbs directly on the base of the statue. Sensing the solid object as a threat, he swung his horned head and repeatedly head-butted. White powered rock exploded everywhere. The head of the statue, an image to the Skakoan deity, the Albino Cyclops, was oversized and grotesque. It began to teeter in the wind after each of the reek's head strikes. There was a popping sound. It came loose and toppled forward, exploding into rubble on the ground centimeters from the reek.

All at once, the onslaught of onlookers froze. Like a blue and silver wall of ocean water held back by an invisible wall, the entire crowd was just staring blankly, not knowing what to do. The Weequay stopped dead in his tracks as well. Everyone was in a kind of shock. From the back of the arena the Skakoan with the ornamental face plate stood up. He raised his right arm and made a fist. He made an incomprehensible sound in his language and even with the monotone vocoder processing, the rage and intent was obvious. The crowd of onlookers transformed into an angry mob again, this time with a blessing from their spiritual head.

The two intruders assessed their situation. Behind them, the reek was angrier than ever. The crowd in front was advancing. The Albino Cyclops lay in ruins, its head separated and broken into a thousand pieces. Without looking, Kibol raised the green saber and batted away a blaster bolt fired from the Weequay that got too close. There was only one way to go now … down.

"Alright Ween, follow me." He jumped down the hole he made earlier and decided he'd do the whole thing in reverse. From the underground cavern he gazed up and saw Weena's upper body silhouetted by the orange sky. Come on, it's safe, the tunnels are clear. "Weena, just jump! I'll catch you"

"Alright, hold on, Kib." Her silhouette disappeared. It didn't reappear. He tried to imagine her getting up the nerve to jump down the hole … but this was Weena. Worry crept into the back of his mind as the roaring of the crowd became louder and the seconds ticked away.

Anger. That's all the reek's hormones would let it feel. He needed to hurt something. He stopped shaking his head and looked up to see that same shape with the flapping hair and the long flowing skirt. The motion offended the reek, added aggravation to his pain. The figure started running away from him. He positioned his head and charged. The thing wouldn't escape this time.

Just as Kibol was considering jumping back up to the surface to see what was going on, the light from the hole went dark. Weena darted down the shaft, hands raised in the air, feet first. Kibol reached out with the force and slowed her descent. She touched down with a puff of dust. She then had to jump to the side as more dirt and rocks fell from the shaft. The light from the hole had blacked out entirely. There was growling and the sounds of struggle. They both peered up to see one of the hind limbs of the reek kicking and squirming in the opening.

"Looks like you jumped down just in time." He said as he helped her stand up. She stood a half of a head shorter than him. The stared at each other in the dim glow rod lighting in the tunnel, speechless, not really knowing what to say next. She broke the silence.

Dusting off, she walked up to him and faked an exasperated look "Ween?" She hated the contraction of her name.

"Kib?" he retorted. He hated all alternate forms of his name, except the short affectionate one she'd used. A smile breaking through his serious face, he said "At least it wasn't _Kibby_ like my mom calls me, I hate that. I would've had to strike you down."

"You're lucky, she used to call me Weenie.. And Jedi or not, I can still kick your butt."

They traded grins and enjoyed the temporary respite.

Their banter was interrupted by thumping and muffled shouts from above. He took her hand and the pair ran at a steady clip down the tunnel. "That thing'll block our six for now."


	4. Chapter 4 - Speeder for Two

CHAPTER 4

He was running with his physical body, but with his mind he was feeling for the way out of the underground complex. He limited his draw on the force so Weena could keep up with him. He pulled the comlink out of its pouch and keyed the _Perseverance's_ frequency. "Perseverance, this is Kay-Dee One do you copy? … Bryne, come in!"

"This is the Perseverance … Uh … I copy you. Uh … what can I do for you?" It was Bryne's voice, but he sounded in distress.

"Bryne, I need an extraction for two, like, yesterday. Right now it's okay, but it's going to be a hot one. I can't make it to you, but there's a ridge just outside the community with a plateau a couple hundred meters up. We'll meet you up there. Do you copy?" Seconds passed.

The comlink crackled. "Uh … yessir, I read your com coordinates, we'll see you there." His voice sounded stressed. Maybe he was having problems of his own. No, he'd be where they needed him to be. It was hard to imagine a situation Bryne couldn't handle.

Keeping up pace with Kibol wasn't hard at all. He was probably thinking he had to run slow to make it easier on her. The pace was not the problem, she was an experienced runner. It was the tendrils of guilt starting to wrap around her conscience that were slowing her down.

They came upon an exit facing North. Through the archway, they could see the fractured peak they were heading for. As they ascended the exit ramp, they heard the whine of repulsor engines, the speeder variety. Two armed Patronians appeared in the walkway above them brandishing handheld blasters. Kibol gestured with his right arm and both the security guards launched up and over their heads. The screamed and limbs flailed wildly as they passed overhead and landed far behind them. Weena gracefully picked up a blaster that skittered on the ramp past her. At the top of the ramp, the two-seater speeder was idling.

The scene outside was from a doomsday holovid. There was a mixture of beings running about panicked in every direction. Two-seater security bikes were buzzing around looking for them. Little by little pedestrians took notice of the two out of place beings mounting up on the security speeder. A few began to shout and point. Some grabbed the first object available and threw it in their direction. This wasn't going to be a quick getaway.

Kibol jumped on the forward seat and hit the accelerator. Weena strapped herself into the rear facing seat and they sped away, zigzagging their way through the town. Three security team speeders brought up the rear in pursuit. As they reached the less populated outskirts, the security bikes began to open fire on them. Weena popped up and down behind the rear blast shield and took well aimed shots at the three moving targets.

One of the speeders buckled in front after being hit by one of Weena's bolts. It burst into smoke and disappeared behind a ridge, too damaged to continue. The other two widened their spread and tried to out-flank their speeder. The two Patronian rear gunners had a more advantageous forward angle of fire like this and the two pursuers could create a better crossfire arc. Shots began to rock the rear of the bike side to side. Weena was sure she or Kibol were about to be struck.

Taking quick glances over his shoulders and their attackers, Kibol tried to come up with a solution. He needed to do something Jedi-ish. With text book execution, he hit the brakes on the speeder and decelerated hard. The pursuing speeder blew past him in a blinding blur. That move always worked. Weena recognized the maneuver and unstrapped herself. Kibol left the bike idling and jumped off and hit the ground running. The momentum still carried the speeder forward at a moderately slow rate.

Igniting both lightsabers, he twirled them in alternating arcs in front of them and captured and redirected all the incoming fire. Weena stood up on the bike, one knee on the driver seat and one foot on the steering yoke. She held the blaster marksman style and took aim. With the speeder essentially floating on repulsors, Kibol running ahead full clip with lightsaber defense, and Weena perched and firing, they were a light armored tank of sorts.

One pursuing speeder was picked apart by Weena's blaster fire and crashed, throwing the occupants free. The other one got too close, Kibol buried it in the ground nose first by a wall of force energy. Kibol deactivated his weapons and somersaulted backward towards their speeder. Weena took the cue and spun around in her seat. Kibol landed in the driver's saddle and slammed the accelerator forward and they returned to full speed ahead.

When they arrived at the hill, the face was nearly vertical. Kibol reached in his rear pouch and pulled out the slim-cable. He threw force the grappling hook with force enhanced velocity and guided it around an outcropping by the plateau.

"Can you climb?" Kibol asked.

"I'm just worried about you." She said as she ripped two strips of cloth off of the fringe of her skirt and wrapped both hands in the material. She started up the rope, hand over hand, finding foot holds in the rock as she picked her way up.

Kibol just looked at her, shook his head and grinned. "This has long day written all over it." The taunt made her climb faster. Some things don't change. But this is how it was rescuing a strong minded and independent woman. He supposed it was better than having to do all the work. To these two, danger and impossible circumstances had turned into a bizarre courting ritual. Neither could agree on the terms, and nor was it spoken what the outcome should be.


	5. Chapter 5 - The Wall

CHAPTER 5

Half way up the face of the rock, her progress slowed noticeably. Her zero calorie captivity diet was causing her upper body to weaken faster than normal. A methodical yet hurried climb of a cliff face required less adrenaline and more skill and concentration. If she was about to fall via boredom, the problem was quickly remedied. Blaster bolts began to hit the cliff all around them. Slabs of rock separated from the mountain and heated shards sprayed Kibol in the face. "Kib!" she cried.

"I know, I'll think of something…" and just as he said it, a bolt disintegrated the rock supporting her and she hung by her hands on the rope until her grip slipped a moment later. He braced himself. She fell on him, desperately grabbing for purchase. The adrenaline was back. She ended up on his back with her left arm over his left shoulder, right arm around his waist and legs failing and kicking at the wall for support.

Kibol twisted his left forearm and wrist into the rope and offered his right to her for support. She climbed up on his back and wrapped her legs around him. She looked like an oversized climber's pack, and to him, she felt like one. The sudden strain on his upper body caused him to call on the force to augment his strength. They were hanging in the wind, exposed, being showered by rocks. It was anybody's guess how long their luck would last the security forces were already back on top of them, the mob of angry Skakoans would be close behind. All it would take was a lucky shot to hit him, her or the rope and it would all be over. He made up his mind. He had to go sideways.

With both forearms intertwined in the rope, Kibol started at swinging side to side, like a pendulum. Back and forth they went, gaining altitude on each pass. Finally, he was running nearly perpendicular to the face of the rock. The breeze was cool on his face. "You're going to have to let go. I'll push you with the force."

During the shallower swings, Weena detached herself piece by piece from Kibol's back and worked her way down to a lower position on the rope. She added her own strides to their momentum. For the second time today, she was precariously tethered and swinging up in the air. But this time, she had more control of the situation. At the apex of the upward swing, she kicked her legs and let go of the rope. She easily cleared the plateau floor but saw how she would have missed it entirely if not for a force nudge from Kibol.

Her breath was knocked out of her momentarily as she stuck flush with the ground. Her ribs were on fire. A dust cloud surrounded her. She knew the numbness that covered her body would soon melt away to reveal aches and pains. Her vision was a blurry kaleidoscope of bright colors and shadows. She heard a thump, a grunt, bounding footsteps coming her way. There was more blaster fire and then turbolaser strikes against the mountain. Then Kibol's blurry figure hovered over her. Behind him the silhouette of the Perseverance grew and grew until it was the last thing she saw.

Kibol drew her up into his arms. Her eyes were open and looking at him but in a distant, unfocused manner. When the _Perseverance_ touched down, the boarding ramp was already lowered. After stepping inside, the ramp raised and the ship rose off the ground. Muffled blaster fire was drowned out by the sublight engines as the ship gained altitude and broke free from the planet's gravity well. He laid Weena down in the med bay and activated the med droid. He turned around to see a woman standing in the hatchway.

"Kibby." She stated bluntly.

"Mom? What are you doing here?"


	6. Chapter 6 - The Perseverance

CHAPTER 6

There she stood, his mother. Ellevia Diran, former Jedi healer, Galactic Senate Alternate, Chairwoman for the Interplanetary Education Guild, wife of Jedi Jace Diran, and most importantly, mother of four. Her dark brown hair was pulled back into an ergonomic ponytail. Her Hazel eyes were intense already, but the raised eyebrow seemed to turn the heat up a notch. She wore her dark brown casual flight suit with insignias on her shoulders, tan utility pants and black pilot boots. She stood with her gloved hands on her hips. Her whole demeanor was severely no-nonsense, and very cut-to-the-chase. "What am _I _doing here? Why don't you go first."

"Weena was in trouble. I got a distress com signal with coordinates and …"

"That part I figured out already." She cut him short. "But you haven't heard the rest of the story." She looked at him. So grown up and mature in every other area, except this one. Strong, bold, overconfident, but essentially blind when it came to this girl. He'd taken foolish risk after foolish risk for her sake and it had really just marginalized him. She ran off with a piece of his heart every time, and he became increasingly distracted by the day.

His mother continued. "I got a call too, this one from your baby brother interning with the GAS. He overheard a report that a beautiful Arkanian girl was causing some unrest with the Skakoan community in the outer rim. I did some digging and found a report of a manhunt, or woman-hunt, for a gal with the same description on Selucami." She walked past him and hovered over Weena's unconscious body. "I knew exactly who it was. And I knew exactly who to call next…" she turned and looked at him. "… the Jedi Knight in shining Katarn armor."

Kibol put his hands on his hips now and hung his head. The truth hurt.

"I'm sorry, sir." Bryne yelled from the cockpit. "She found us and came aboard after I dropped ya." He paused and his volume decreased. "I didn't want to say no to yer mum."

Ellivia removed her gloves and placed her bare hands, one on Weena's head, and the other on her abdomen. She could sense her injuries, fractures, spaces in Weena's force presence. There was a rib fracture and a large hematoma building up on her right costal border, other minor muscle and skin injuries, a slight contusion to her brain. Her body was craving micro and macro nutrients. The malnutrition Ellivia could not fix, but the tissue and nerve damage were another. She let the force flow through her and into those disturbances in Weena's force presence.

There was something else. She peered down at the baggy clothing around Weena's abdomen. There was a bulge that seemed out of place. Ellivia worked her hand under her clothing and stared at Kibol when she found what she was feeling for. Fixing him with her gaze, she pulled her hand out to reveal a palm-sized blue orb, big enough that she could not close her fingers around it but apparently small enough to hide from Kibol. "Did you think this was part of her normal anatomy?" She enquired sarcastically.

"Aw, man." He moaned. It was the eye of the Albino Cyclops, sapphire blue and a near perfect sphere. Somehow it had come along for the ride. "When I found her she was chained to a pole, about to get gored by a reek. The statue was intact … until it fell over."

"You knocked over their idol?" Her eyes widened. "Were you trying to make a point?"

"No, the animal did it. It got mad after I lopped off a part of its horn."

"Now you're maiming non-sentients."

"Mom, it was going to kill her. They were sacrificing her to the idol or whatever they do."

"Now, I don't recall the Skakoan deity requiring a blood sacrifice." She gave him an admonishing tone. "I don't think we know the whole story yet, Kibby?"

"Stop calling me Kibby!" Realization replaced the anger. "She took a long time to jump down the hole! I went first and thought she'd been caught until …. Aw, man."

"Aw, man?" she used a mocking tone. "You have your father's eloquence, you know that?"

With a frightening jerk Weena's left arm shot up off of the table and grabbed Ellivia by the wrist. Her head rose almost as fast off of the table and her eyes were wide open. Ellivia didn't lose her grip on the orb, she almost expected the reaction. When Weena's fatigued eyes surveyed the scene, she saw the familiar faces of Kibol and his mother … his mother. She relaxed, let out a deep sigh and whispered "I can explain."

"Please do." Kibol said irritated. He crossed his arms and peered out the viewport.


	7. Chapter 7 - The Truth Comes Out

CHAPTER 7

She was seated in a reclining chair in the med bay, taking sips from the nutrient shake Kibol's mother had made for her. She had wrapped herself in an heat blanket. Kibol and his mother stood across the room at either side of her, waiting for her to begin.

"The eye is stolen." Weena started.

"We got that part." Ellivia said, eyebrow raised, unimpressed.

"No … before me … from Skako." She leaned forward, pleading. "I was brought before the elders of the Five Mounds or something. The eye had been taken by a rogue group of Skakoans that left several months ago … defectors really. They'd taken the eye to Selucami, started a new sect, and developed a different kind of worship of the monster, more brutal and militant. The Elders saw it as an abomination and because they didn't feel they could get accurate direction from the Cyclops without the relic. They put their slimy heads together and came up with the creative idea to just steal it back." A bit of sarcasm entered her voice.

Ellivia shifted her weight. "So you're just a hired thief now, a mercenary." It was more of a statement than a question. Kibol looked as if someone had let the air out of him.

"Not exactly." An embarrassed smile came across her face. "I was kind of already in trouble there."

Kibol threw his hands up in the air. "Sheeeesh? Anything else we need to know?"

"Stop it." His mother quickly put a lid on the outburst. "Go on."

"I kind of had a small part to play in the initial theft." She looked at the ground. "They lied to me, told me they were oppressed and that the Elders were manipulating people and lying about what the eye was telling them … then they cut me loose to cover their escape. Left me behind. I was in some gross cell for days … I'd do anything to get out. Then the Selucami sect caught me red handed … and you know the rest."

Ellivia let out a breathy chuckle, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Tell me why I shouldn't just turn around right now and turn you over to planetary security and give the eye back to the original owners."

Weena stood up. "You can't." Her eyes darted around the room all of a sudden

"Mom, don't." Kibol pressed, pushing away from the wall.

Ellivia Diran raised a hand, stopping the commotion before it started. She put her hands on Weena's shoulders, soothing her with the force. "Tell me why I shouldn't."

After blinking tears away, Weena looked at her and swallowed. "If I take it back they'll let me go free, they say I'll have absolved my treachery and my bad deeds will be undone. You've got to help me! I'm tired of running all the time! I just want to undo this and be normal again." The gruff, street smart young woman melted away in tears and the white haired little girl was shivering before her. Weena's guard was totally down, letting everything out. It was only in this present company, this family, that she'd ever been able to be herself. "I could have just left when they released me! But being used like that just made me think, you know."

Her pleading was genuine, as far as Ellivia could tell in the force, this young lady had never opened up like this to her. She always felt like she was Kibol's last line of defense against this girl ruining his life. But maybe there was leverage here that she hadn't had before. She looked at her son. "I think Bryne needs help up front."

Taking the cue, Kibol exited the med bay. Ellivia turned again to Weena. "What if we take you there? To Skako… let you hand the eye over to the Elders … will I be disappointed again? Will we find it's just another lie?"

"No, no." Weena interrupted, sobbing.

"Okay, listen. My son has a … thing … for you. He's a hero at heart. He'll always drop what he's doing and go save his friend, his brother, his fellow Jedi … you. He's all give, that boy. So far, you've been all take. You're always pulling him into some life-threatening situation, always calling him in the middle of a crisis." She stopped and searched for the next words.

"I think you're just worried about 'landing' yourself a good man. But are you ready to share him with the rest of the Galaxy or whoever the force guides him to help? I'll tell you one thing he'd be a whole lot more effective as a Jedi if he wasn't always worried about your safety. You know, Han Solo only rescued Leia Solo once, from the Death Star. Since then it's been side by side through the loss of two sons, the rising and falling of empires, three major wars, thousands of minor conflicts. It's two complete people, not two halves. Are you ready for that?"

Weena swallowed a couple of times, the sober resignation showing on her face. She wasn't crying anymore, just thinking. Thinking about the emotions she experiences around certain members of the Diran family. Kibol for one filled her with excitement, but did she want to stand by his side for ever or just fight by his side once and a while? Ellivia was the one she always tried to avoid, too stern, too demanding, forever condescending. But now she may be the closest thing to a friend she had in the Galaxy.

"I really don't want to be a burden to you guys."

"Look, we'll take you to Skako and let you return the Eye. After that it's up to you. No strings attached. And if you are good as gold, you can ride with us until things settle down for you. Could always use a hand around the _Perseverance._"

Up front in the cockpit, Kibol Diran and Bryne Deegs sat in the pilot and co-pilot seat and stared out into the twinkling stars of space. "I hope she's not beating her." Kibol said matter-of-factly. "She's good to have around in a fight."

"Yer mum or the lady?" He chuckled at his friend.

"I don't know anymore." He laughed with him. "Maybe I'm trying to force this whole Zayne/Jarael thing too much."

"You ready for the jump to light speed?"

"Sure, where we going?"

"Skakoa."

"Skakoa? But how do you …?"

"Yer mum. She knew the whole story before we picked ye two up … just wanted to hear it from the girl's own mouth. Smart lady she is." He gave a dry Duros laugh and patted Kibol on the back. "Musta been rough tryin' ta pull one off on her, eh, he heh."

"You have no idea."


End file.
